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There a very famous music played with brass instrument, fast pace, almost circus style, that is very often played as a soundtrack for funny, fast-motion runs, or when a character is chasing another. The most common scene where the music is played is mostly comedy, not at all serious.
I would like to know the origins of this music and how it became associated with these common tropes (fast-motion, runs, pursuits...).
There are two that come to mind that fit this description:
"Yakety Sax" (originally recorded by Boots Randolph) is the most obvious and became a staple of "The Benny Hill Show" when he chased the ladies around at the end
"The Flight of the Bumble Bee" by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov is also often used to indicate fast-paced action in different contexts.
My best guess is Sabre Dance by Soviet Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqg3l3r_DRI
By far his best known work, it hit number one on the US Billboard Classical charts three times in 1948 alone.
How did it became associated with chase scenes? It's a popular, familiar piece of classical music with a frantic, frenetic quality --it lends itself well to such scenes. It was also used repeatedly for chase scenes in the 1961 Billy Wilder farce, One, Two, Three, which may have solidified the association in people's minds.
Other possibilities :
"Devil's Gallop", composed by Charles Williams and famous as theme of "Dick Barton Special Agent" Sound here.
From the silent films era: "The Big Chase", on player-piano roll.
comments under the "The Big Chase" yt vid identify this also as "Flicker Moods", played by
Hank [Mittens ] Hoyt, but couldn't find an online recording to compare.
I'm giving both because in my memory they are both strongly associated with chases, and I couldn't choose. Although both the above do suit more sinister chases, even that is seen as a comic cliche of the silent movie.
Rossini's William Tell Overture. 'Looney Tunes' is probably influential in current use
"Baby Elephant Walk" by Henry Mancini and James Galloway. It has a happy fast paced circus sound and is used in a comedy type situation.
